When it was almost dark, Ruan Mengmeng returned.
Along with her, two girls from the Protection Station also came.
They carried three backpack baskets filled with quite a few items.
"These are the vegetables and fruits we bought. Tomorrow, the center will deliver fruit, and Uncle Zhao and others said they would help carry it in while patrolling the forest, so we don't have to make another trip."
There were also dishes packed by Ruan Mengmeng that had cooled down and needed reheating.
"This is from Gemu's house; they gave it to us for the stove. Uncle Zhao also got us some slices of lamb and beef to cook for ourselves."
This copper pot was a bit large, enough to feed five or six people.
(It resembles the pot used for mutton hotpot in Beijing, but much larger.)
The local people here use bones from cattle and sheep to stew broth, then heat the copper pot, pour the broth in, and put meat and vegetables in it.